1949 Cadillac Series 62

General Motors and its top-level Cadillac Motor Division outlasted the majority of its competitors by the late 1930s, many of whom were the victims of the Great Depression. During the early postwar era, GM offered the car-starved public mildly updated pre-war designs while perfecting its first new postwar models. The new Cadillac models for 1948 rested on a new chassis-frame design and body designs inspired by prewar studies of Lockheed's twin-boom, twin-engine P-38 fighter plane. Many clay models and prototypes were built, with this design work headed by Julio Andrade, assistant to GM design chief, Harley Earl. Despite the vast amount of resources and work invested in the early concepts, only the upward-flowing tailfins would grace the 1948 models. Many of the design features, however, were introduced over the following years, first on Cadillacs, then filtered down to the rest of the GM product hierarchy.

After the new-for-1948 models, Cadillac styling for 1949 continued essentially unchanged. Detail refinements included the replacement of the prior 'rainbow' cluster-style dash design with a more conventional layout featuring a horizontal speedometer. The biggest change was the introduction of a new overhead-valve V8 engine which offered an impressive 160 horsepower. With the then-high compression, the new V-8 delivered strong peak torque at just 1,800 engine revolutions. This would become the basis for many generations of Cadillacs to follow. It would also be used successfully by many legendary racers such as Allard and Cunningham. The V8 'valve-in-head' engine was light, smooth, economical to maintain, and offered much performance potential.

For 1949, Cadillac offered four models, including the Series 61 and 62 which were both sales successes and similar, identifiable by minor trim variations. The Series 62 was higher priced, had a distinctive Cadillac grille, and the front fender stone shields and rocker panel moldings were grooved. It was low, had a stretched hood line, and a wide stance. The interior was completely revamped and featured a new instrumentation panel, door moldings, trim, and a stylish line of fabrics.

Motor Trend magazine named its very first 'Car of the Year' in November of 1949. Ford was quickly eliminated, leaving Cadillac and Buick as contenders. Since the Cadillac V-8 developed nearly 20 percent more horsepower and weighed less than the Buick engine, it was the obvious choice.

Body Styles, Pricing, and Production

- Club Coupe; $2,965; 7,515 units built
- Sedan; $3,050; 37,617 units built
- Export Sedan; $3,050; 360;
- Coupe DeVille; $3,495; 2,150 units built
- Convertible Coupe; $3,495; 8,000 units

Dimensions

The 1949 Cadillac Series 62 had a 126-inch wheelbase, a length of 215.87 inches, a width of 80.13 inches, and a height of 62 inches. The sedan weighed approximately 3,950 pounds, and the convertible coupe at 4,220 pounds.

Engine

The 331 cubic-inch eight-cylinder (V8) engine had a cast iron block, overhead valves, five main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters, and a compression ratio of 7.5:1. It produced 160 horsepower at 3,800 RPM and 312 lbs.-ft of torque at 1,800 RPM. The carburetor was a Carter WCD two-barrel (742-S) unit.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2019